Latin Alternative Music Conference Recap!

With each new thing I experience here at Shure, it’s getting harder and harder to write these blog posts! It’s like trying to take a picture of the moon when its super big and bright, but then you go to do that and you realize the moon is millions of miles away and it’s tiny in your picture. There are just some things that pictures and words can’t capture. You just kind of have to be there to experience it.

The Latin Alternative Music Conference was one of those things. How do I talk about it? It was amazing. I love being surprised in the sense of thinking of something one way and then being pleasantly surprised that it’s actually different. So don’t jump out and scare me and be like “Surprise” because I can’t promise that my reflexes wouldn’t punch you haha!

This was a good surprise though. I went in with that stereotypical idea of what Latin music was, but it was so different. One of the main lessons I learned was that music is a universal language. You don’t have to know what they’re saying to enjoy the music or get something out of it. Sure, I think songs can be extremely powerful when you understand and connect with the lyrics as well as the music, but it’s definitely not necessary.

Synchronization Panel

I was also able to make it to two panel discussions. One was on DIY artists and how to get your name known. At this panel, they talked about utilizing social media and the best ways to do that as a band or artist. The second one I went to was by far my favorite because it was the one of most interest to me. It was on music licensing and getting your music into TV, film, advertising, commercials, etc. The panel consisted of people from BMI to ESPN to Soundcloud. It was pretty cool to hear all the different perspectives and strategies on how artists can get their music placed.

The fans at SummerStage going crazy!

The live shows were incredible. The energy was insane and everyone in the crowd was super into the shows. The entire conference was like a family reunion for a lot of these bands and artists. So many times they were watching people they knew on stage so they would scream and yell for their friends, who would later return the favor when they performed!

Despite my persistent begging not to have to go up on stage, Nelson got me up there during one of the last SummerStage events in Central Park to give away a prize. I’m not shy, but I definitely was intimidated to get up on stage in front of a thousand people. I mean I do radio for a reason. I like to be behind the scenes, BUT it definitely made me respect the confidence and bravery that the artists have each time they get up on that stage. They basically have to believe in their music and give it their all knowing that there might be people in the audience who don’t like it or don’t get it. So, it definitely takes a lot of courage.

My friend Madeline, Nelson, and I at the Indie Showcase!

A side note to the LAMC that made my trip fantastic was getting to be reunited with and meet so many people! Shout out to Joel Moya from Remezcla for making the LAMC even more fun! You were the best intern to the intern I could have asked for! I also got to see one of my good friends from grade school that moved away in the 7th grade! So she made it out to a couple of the shows, which was awesome!

Overall, there aren’t words or pictures that can properly explain how much fun I had! The city was crazy, especially coming from rural Missouri! It was exciting and bustling and it really is the city that never sleeps. I wish everyone could get this experience, I think it was really good to see that music can cross culture. Music is just one of those things that is similar in many cultures. It’s a source of expression, it can bring happiness and joy, and it does that no matter where you are in the world or how you’re listening. I feel like there are few things that are like this, so similar throughout culture. Music, smiling, laughing, I mean I’m sure there are more, but I mean smiling and laughing….those are two of my favorite things and music is right there on that cross-cultural list and that’s amazing. Music can be so diverse and so different, yet it’s expression and brings enjoyment no matter the difference in sound. Seeing that in full force throughout LAMC was a pure joy. It was a beautiful thing to be in this situation where you’re immersed in a different culture for a few days and to realize just how powerful music is and how small you are. There is a whole world out there, but music can bring us all together.

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